Sony's PlayStation Now is a decent option for people who prefer to rent console games instead of buy them, but it currently limits you to titles created for the last-generation PlayStation 3.

That is set to change: Sony announced on Monday that PlayStation 4 games will soon be available to play on the $20-per-month streaming service. There's no word on exactly which games will be included or when they'll be launched, however. Sony plans to initially offer PS4 titles via a "private test" to active subscribers before the full rollout later this year.

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An expanding game library is undoubtedly a positive development for current PS Now subscribers, but if you're a casual gamer excited about the prospects of playing new games on an old console or TV, think again: Sony plans to discontinue PS Now on a number of devices on Aug. 15, including the PS3, PS Vita, and PS TV; all 2013, 2014, and 2015 Sony Bravia TV models; all Sony Blu-ray player models; and all Samsung TV models.

So while you might have a small window to play PS4 titles on those devices, it's likely that Sony won't roll out the new PS4 games until after it shrinks the list of compatible devices. Going forward, PS Now will only support PlayStation 4 and Windows PCs.

That said, there is a silver lining: PS Now works with almost all Windows PCs, and since the quality of its streams are mainly determined by the speed of your internet connection, the minimum specs are quite low. You don't even need a discrete graphics card, making PS Now an intriguing option for people with who've added a cheap streaming PC to their home theater setup.

As a hardware analyst, Tom tests and reviews laptops, peripherals, and much more at PC Labs in New York City. He previously covered the consumer tech beat as a news reporter for PCMag in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, where he rode in several self-driving cars and witnessed the rise and fall of many startups. Before that, he worked for PCMag's sister site, Computer Shopper, where he occasionally dunked waterproof hard drives in glasses of water. In his spare time, he's written on topics as...
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